LIONSTAGE HISTORY

LIONSTAGE is an independent music agency and production company based in Wrocław, operating continuously since the mid-1990s. We started out when promoting concerts meant photocopied posters and handwritten guest lists, and the alternative music scene was still finding its place in Wrocław’s clubs: Amsterdam, Podium, Samo Życie, Rockers and Pałacyk.

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Today, we work on major festivals, concert tours, arena productions and intimate corporate events across Poland and Europe. They all share one thing: music, which has been at the heart of everything we do from the very beginning.

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Our story began with Lion Stage Management, founded by Tomasz Lektarski in 1996. From day one, we focused on alternative music, electronic music, jazz and reggae, steadily helping to develop Wrocław’s music scene.

 

We organised concerts and recurring events that shaped the city’s musical identity, and over time began bringing artists from around the world to Wrocław. It has been a journey from small clubs to packed concert halls and international tours, guided by the same principles throughout: hard work, clear communication and a commitment to ethical practice in the music industry.

 

In 2003, together with Paweł Piotrowicz, we co-created Scena Sajkofag, a project that revisited and celebrated Wrocław’s alternative music scene of the 1980s. Artists who appeared on its stage included Lech Janerka, Martyna Jakubowicz, Robert Brylewski and Voo Voo, giving us the opportunity to learn from working with musicians who embody the history of Polish music. Alongside this, until 2009, we organised the Reggae Picnics in Chocianów: open-air events that, for many years, were an important fixture for fans of reggae and sound system culture.

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In 2004, the first edition of One Love Sound Fest took place at the now-closed WZ club on Plac Wolności. The event quickly outgrew its club origins. Moving to larger venues, and eventually to Centennial Hall, enabled One Love to become Europe’s largest indoor reggae festival. Its stages welcomed leading international artists from reggae, dancehall and related roots music genres, while Wrocław became a vast, uplifting celebration of sound system culture for one night each year.

Since 2008, we have also co-organised the Ethno Jazz Festival, one of Poland’s most distinctive jazz and world music festivals. Artists who have performed in Wrocław at our invitation include Herbie Hancock, Al Di Meola, Bobby McFerrin, Jan Garbarek Group featuring Trilok Gurtu, Lizz Wright, Nigel Kennedy, Asaf Avidan, Basia Trzetrzelewska, Yasmin Levy, Shabaka and the Ancestors, Nouvelle Vague and The Bulgarian Voices Angelite, alongside The Music of Hans Zimmer, performed by Ensemble La Chapelle Sauvage.

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Our contribution to Wrocław’s musical landscape also includes projects we helped create, such as Wrocławski Sound, now known as WroSound, as well as numerous concert series held in venues across the city, from Stary Klasztor to major concert halls. For us, live music events are a testing ground for new approaches to programming and production.

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One of the best examples is Nut Ferment, a concert series and YouTube channel that brought more than 60 artists to Wrocław’s Capitol Musical Theatre across dozens of concerts and episodes.

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Over the years, we have had the opportunity to support many Polish and international artists, both onstage and behind the scenes. Through our booking and production work, we have collaborated on concerts and projects featuring artists such as Sinéad O’Connor, Erykah Badu, Manu Chao and The Cranberries. We have also helped organise reggae performances at Przystanek Woodstock, whose line-ups included Damian Marley, Alpha Blondy, Shaggy, SOJA, Ziggy Marley and Ky-Mani Marley.

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In Poland, we have worked extensively with Jamal, Mesajah, Natural Dread Killaz, Abradab, Kaliber 44, L.U.C., Illusion and Lipali, as well as many other artists for whom we have organised concert tours, individual shows and special projects. To this day, we remain Wrocław’s largest booking agency in terms of the number of artists we have brought to the city.

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Through its artist management and representation services, LIONSTAGE works with artists including Maria Sadowska, Dagadana, Big Day, Dr Misio, Arek Jakubik and NO LOGO, supporting them with tour planning, negotiations, concert production and communication with event organisers. We also co-organise and produce concerts in partnership with various city festivals and events, featuring artists such as Jan Garbarek, Herbie Hancock, Lizz Wright, Basia Trzetrzelewska, Nigel Kennedy, Nneka, Tanita Tikaram and Yasmin Levy.

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For many years, we have also been a partner to businesses, institutions and event organisers looking for experienced music industry professionals. We work with concert venues, clubs and cultural centres, as well as promoters and local organisers across Europe. For some clients, we develop complete event concepts, from artist selection and production through to communications and post-production. For others, we serve as a trusted booking partner, ensuring that every artist’s appearance runs smoothly and reliably.

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An important milestone in LIONSTAGE’s history was the start of our collaboration with the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity Foundation, known in Poland as WOŚP. In 2014, Jerzy Owsiak entrusted us with responsibility for the technical production and logistics of the charity’s annual Grand Finale events in Wrocław.

Today, LIONSTAGE’s work is built on three main pillars: booking international artists, managing Polish bands, and producing concerts and delivering comprehensive event management. We work with festival organisers, cultural centres and institutions, as well as commercial brands seeking to build their communications around music. We offer a full range of services, from programming consultancy and artist contracting to technical production and on-site event coordination.

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Our headquarters are in the heart of Wrocław, where we plan festivals, concert tours and new projects. From here, we take our productions to cities across Poland. Through a network of contacts developed over the years, including during our time operating an Edinburgh office, we maintain close relationships with international agencies and promoters.

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We continue to operate as an independent concert and booking agency, combining the flexibility of a small team with the experience of a major operator.